While not on the level of the Kobes, LeBrons, and Wades just yet, Blake Griffin is without a doubt the hottest topic in the NBA right now. The guy’s been dunking over anything with a pulse and doing so with an unsettling ease that leaves you wondering if he’s got what it takes to take over the NBA a few years down the line. He’s not only playing with style, but also with purpose; the Clippers, while still a sub-.500 team, have us paying attention about the other Los Angeles team for the first time in a long while, and with a young and talented roster in a suddenly thinning Western Conference list of superstars, it’s Blake Griffin’s NBA to lose.

Over the All-Star Weekend, Blake Griffin visited the Nike Vault in the Staples Center to talk with fans about his latest achievement, which was winning the 2011 NBA Dunk Contest while jumping over a Kia Optima, catching an off-the-backboard pass from Baron Davis who peered his head out of the sunroof like a groundhog. During the visit, Blake brought his Dunk Contest kicks – the Nike Air Max Fly By in an earth-shattering red and black colorway with a translucent outsole and a seismic graphic on the heel. These are similar to the Nike Hyperdunk 2011 that Blake debuted in the All-Star Game as well. Continue reading for a nice recap of Blake’s visit to Nike Vault and let us know, do you think Blake deserves a signature shoe, or is Nike B-Ball a bit crowded with Kobe, LeBron, and KD? via hoopchina.

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Wale’s recent sneaker sighting should definitely have you focused back on Foamposites. The rapper who hails from DC was recently spotted wearing the upcoming ‘Dark Pine’ colorway of the Nike Air Foamposite Pro during a sick live performance at the House of Blues last Saturday. One major debate about his kicks was whether or not they were truly a green shade (dark pine almost looked black). We all know that this upcoming Foamposite release is a bona-fide shade of green – Electric Green to be exact. Had Nate Robinson submitted his name into the 2011 Dunk Contest billing, these Electric Green foams might’ve been his WDYWT submission for the night. In any case, these won’t drop until March 5th so avoid a release-date mishap and guarantee a pair right now by copping one from 95soleman on eBay.

Style: 624041-300
Color: Electric Green/Black-White

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It’s been an exciting year for Oregon Ducks athletics; its football team played for the National Championship while sporting some sweet Air Jordan IX PEs during the pre-game Media Day, and the men’s Basketball team got to play on a brand new basketball court designed by Tinker Hatfield while wearing some of the latest Nike gear to date. It certainly doesn’t hurt to be the alma mater of the founder of the Swoosh, and this Air Jordan 2010 Team PE is one reason why; this black/white PE colorway of the Air Jordan 2010 Team features school insignia around the heel with a hint of the elephant print embedded onto the breathable upper. ‘Ducks Team Issue’ is printed on the medial heel, but these Oregon-only kicks can be yours by checking out the auction from sole_supreme on eBay.

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This is certainly a bold move for Supra. Bold, as in an unabashed rip-off, or bold as is going with what works. Last month Sneaker News showed you this Supra Skytop II colorway that is clearly inspired by the Air Max 95 and the original Neon colorway. Going with the Dark-Grey to Light-Grey gradient with the use of mesh and neon green accents, we’ll call it somewhere in between the two definitions of bold. Of course, Supra isn’t the first to go the Neon 95 route, but does it even translate well to the high-cut skate shoe? If you’ve been enamored with these the moment you laid eyes on ‘em, Flatspot has them available for purchase now so take another look be low and let us know what you think.

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Oh my God, yes, oh my God, there’s another collaborative sneaker on the way featuring A Tribe Called Quest‘s signature early ’90s Afrocentric aesthetic.  The Nike SB Blazer ‘Low End Theory’ translates its namesake album’s red-on-black female silhouette into tonal black stripes on the upper that adds red and green accents to complete the familiar look.  And while neither is an exact replica of its album cover, you could argue these more accurately capture their muse than the ‘Midnight Marauders’ Air Jordan 1 High Strap that dropped a little over two years ago.  These are likely to hit retail later this year but assuming your wallet’s not stranded in El Segundo, the scenario’s set for you to grab a US mens size 9 sample courtesy of eBay regular dballaholic on N-SB.

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In the span of a few short hours Saturday night, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin crossed over from being ‘just’ a strong favorite for Rookie of the Year to an unforgettable sensation with his performance in the dunk contest.  Even if the Clippers’ curse once again wreaks havoc on his knees, we’ll always remember Blake jamming over the surprisingly sleek Kia from which teammate Baron Davis lobbed the perfect oop.  We had expected to see him wear the Hyperdunk 2011 PE that he ended up rocking during the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, but instead, the Blakequake found its epicenter in a pair of Nike Air Max Fly By PEs.  These have been Griffin’s go-to kicks so far this year, and while a signature sneaker can’t be too far off, we’d still love to see these (and his HD2011s) hit retail.  No word on when or if that’ll happen, so click through to see more of Blake Griffin’s Air Max Fly By and let us know which of his Nike Basketball player exclusives you like best.

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The Be Positive design label has been combining athletic comfort with time-honored classic designs for some time now, so this Oxford-styled upper with what looks like an Air Max 1 midsole shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Not exactly an Air Max 1 outsole, but you get the point. Be Positive had the same idea when it took a Macropus and Air Woven-like upper and attached the visible cushion bubble to the lower end of the construction when it first debuted. From up top, it looks like a dress shoe, ready to go with any suit or matching ensemble, which is probably what Be Positive had in mind – supreme comfort without compromising style. Check out the detailed images below because these have started to hit retailers in Japan like Tokishirazu. via FRESHNESS.

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The adidas Originals ZX 700 Boat was one of the very first deck shoe/sneaker hybrid designs, but for their latest, Three Stripes is taking things in a decidedly more casual direction.  The adidas Originals Summer Deck is a sleek lowtop with subtle moccasin toes and chukka eye-plackets.  The piping that wraps the latter also circumnavigates the heel for a nice tonal effect, but we kinda wish a bit more of the royal blue sockliner were visible.  A solid effort nonetheless, the Summer Deck is now available at select adidas Originals retailers.  via FNG

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Nike Sportswear has released several colorways of the Woodside and its LunarLon variant plus the recent Air Force 1 ‘Duck Boot’, but ironically enough it was Gourmet who were the first to offer a rainboot-hybrid.  The Gourmet Quadici matches the duck’s unmistakable rubber toe with a midtop chukka silhouette and Air Max-style cushioning and this pair’s cheetah-print suede is an appropriately wild aesthetic for this crazy mashup.  These should hit retailers soon as part of Gourmet’s spring 2011 lineup so click through to see more and stick with Sneaker News for word on the US release.  via Dunk

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The adidas Originals ZX 8000 isn’t the highest numbered release in this classic running series, but we haven’t seen a new 9000 (or 7000, for that matter) in a good while.  Then again, the x000s are relatively similar, and we’re happy to see a new ZX8000 reppin’ Three Stripes’ four-digit range.  This new pair is done in a bold colorway you might expect to see on a pair of Chris Paul’s Jordan Brand signatures, its construction also leaning toward Beaverton with a layered mesh toe that looks more than a little like the original Torch design.  Toss in the Hornets colorway and it takes on a bees nest feel, so click through for a better look and get ready for these to sting the streets later this spring.  via SdG

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While the Jordan Brand influence has spread to a number of colleges that participate in Division-1 play, the University of North Carolina will always be recognized as the college-level representative of Michael Jordan. His Airness was a former student and NCAA Championship winning player and Jordan Brand has been the official outfitter of the schools for years. Here’s a look at two Player Exclusive colorways of the Air Jordan XX1 and Air Jordan 2009 made just for the Tar Heels; it features the trademark white and university blue colorway with UNC logoing – lasered on the 2009 and stitched on the XX1. Both of these versions were made exclusively for the Tar Heels basketball players of those years and were never released to the public, but here’s your chance to own both pairs in a package deal. Continue reading for a detailed look and check out the auction from sole_supreme on eBay.

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Here’s what you’ve been waiting for all week – the Top 20 submissions from Sneaker News Blogs: WDYWT. With an extra day’s worth of submissions due to all the hot All-Star related stories, we’ve got quite an eclectic bunch. This past weekend was filled with some big-time releases like the Air Jordan V Premio and the all-new Air Jordan 2011, and those who copped them right away posted their quick pick-ups on WDYWT. We’ve got some gems from the past as well, like the Air Force 1 High ‘Sheed’ and a sleeper from last year in the Air Jordan 2010 ‘Silver Anniversary’. Of course that’s not all that’s here, so check out this week’s Top 20 and vote for your favorite at the very end.

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